As East Renfrewshire is hit by one of the most severe winters in recent times, I wanted to keep you updated with all the latest information.
I have recieved the following information from the UK Government.
• The current cold weather began in mid-December and is the most prolonged spell of freezing conditions across the UK since December 1981. The current cold conditions are expected by the Met Office to continue to at least 18 January.
• The prolonged severe weather is affecting road and rail networks across the country impacting on a wide range of transport services.
• The Highways Agency has its fleet of 500 salt spreaders and snow ploughs out in force and has been successful in keeping the vast majority of motorways and major trunk roads running. Local authorities have had thousands of salt spreaders and snow ploughs operating across the country.
• Throughout the current cold spell people there has been a tremendous community spirit which has seen people help each other out in all sorts of ways. However there has recently been a spate of stories that people leave themselves exposed to be sued should they assist and inadvertently make it worse. This is nonsense and DCLG are trying to debunk this myth and ensure that we encourage community action.
What are you doing to manage salt supplies?
We are taking prudent measures to make best use of our current salt supplies.
We are also working closely with the transport industry and national and local authorities to minimise the disruption caused. In particular:
• For motorways and trunk roads, Andrew Adonis has directed the Highways Agency to manage their use of salt in order to keep its network open while reducing their daily use. This, for example, means no longer spreading salt on the hard shoulder and reducing treatment rates when ploughing snow by up to 50%.
• For local roads, the Local Government Association, on behalf of local authorities across England, and the Mayor of London, have also agreed to reduce daily use by significantly more than the 25% agreed last week, recognising the importance of mutual support to keep all of Britain moving safely.
• For rail, a number of initiatives are ongoing, including overnight maintenance, anti-icing and ‘ghost’ trains, using heated anti-freeze on the rails, and stand-by locomotives with snow ploughs.
• For airports, we have temporarily agreed a relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours and working-time rules for those hauliers involved in the distribution of de-icer products direct to the airports, to provide as near to normal flight operations as possible.
Is there enough salt for the roads?
We have set up mutual aid arrangements, between the Highways Agency and Local Authorities, to help relieve areas where councils are experiencing particularly tight stocks of salt.
Currently there are sufficient salt supplies to keep major roads clear. But with continuing cold weather forecast, we are taking action now to ensure we make the best use of existing salt stock.
We recognise that salt supplies are limited. We are working closely with the Local Government Association and salt suppliers to prioritise the use of salt for the highways to ensure salt reaches the highway authorities most in need. We are also continuously monitoring salt supplies and stock levels.
Will a reduction of between 40 to 50% in salt use be enough to conserve supplies through the forecast bad weather?
As well as making more economical use of our current supplies, we are also taking steps to get more salt in from our UK salt mines and from overseas and the Government has today directly secured an increase in the production of salt from one of our principal suppliers.
We will discuss any further steps that might be required to conserve salt with the Highways Agency, Local Government Association and other partners. We will take what steps are necessary to ensure networks are kept open.
Why did you not prepare better after the same issue last year? The UK Roads Liaison Group published their report on the lessons learnt on salt usage and supply from last winter in July and Caroline Spelman has criticised the speed of our response.
The UKRLG recommendation was to keep 6 days salt capacity. The Highways Agency entered this winter period with 13 days’ capacity and we regard this as the right response following last year’s events. For local roads, it is for each of Local Highway Authority to consider what measures to take.
As for the Tory criticisms, recommendations that were made to central government were implemented immediately and in full. Conservative policies would remove all standards and targets from Local Government creating a complete postcode lottery. Under David Cameron, who'd allow councils to do anything as long as it's legal, councils wouldn't need to keep any salt stocks or have any responsibility for keeping roads clear.
Why aren’t you providing salt to my local school, hospital, business?
Local authorities have to make judgements about how to prioritise salt distribution at the local level.
We are working with salt suppliers, the Local Government Association and the Highways Agency to prioritise the use of salt, to ensure salt reaches those areas most in need.
Our priority is to keep our key transport routes open to ensure continued delivery of essential goods and services. Salt suppliers have also set aside a proportion of the salt supply to serve small, but essential, customers such as hospitals and power stations.
What are you doing to keep the rail network running?
Network Rail’s maintenance teams are out in force working through the night in the adverse weather conditions to keep the railway running as normally as possible. Their engineers are continually checking hundreds of points at key junctions to prevent equipment from freezing.
Network Rail also has specialist anti-icing trains operating across the affected areas, spraying heated anti-freeze onto the rails. They also have locomotives fitted with snow ploughs on standby which can be quickly deployed to help keep the railway clear.
At stations, train companies are putting on extra staff to help deal with the weather conditions and provide information to passengers; gritting platforms to keep them safe for customer where possible.
Train companies are also running empty ‘ghost’ trains through the night to help keep the tracks and overhead cables free of snow and ice.
What are you doing to keep the sea ports open?
We are working with the highways agency and the local highways authority to ensure access to key ports such as Felixstowe. We are keen that they remain open so that we keep goods moving. But weather conditions such as these are challenging for ports to operate safely in.
Vehicles Making Deliveries
5 relaxations have been granted under the EU rules. These relate to drivers involved in the distribution of:
• road salt. In order to ensure that time spent queuing to collect salt does not drastically reduce the number of deliveries that can be undertaken we have relaxed the enforcement of the EU drivers' hours rules to allow lorries to keep moving for an extra hour each day. This also means that drivers who were due to take their weekly rest over the next two days can work over this weekend.
• animal feed from animal feed manufacturers to farms
• de-icer products direct to airports
• fuel oil products to domestic and agricultural premises in remote areas of Scotland
• A further relaxation for drivers of bulk milk tankers
What about gritting operations?
Drivers of ‘gritters’ are normally subject to the domestic drivers’ hours rules - not the EU drivers’ hours rules. The driving time limits and duty limits under the domestic rules can be automatically suspended in emergency events such as severe and prolonged adverse weather conditions. Local Authorities are aware of this provision and are using it, where absolutely necessary, accordingly.
Drivers will not be required to work if tired nor forced to work if they don’t wish. Trade unions have agreed in principle to the proposed relaxation.
Not all hauliers take advantage of the relaxed hours. These relaxations are intended to help essential deliveries through to maintain vital services and so the relaxation only applies to those listed above.
Volunteering to help your neighbours and community.
There has been tremendous community spirit shown by communities and individuals and we want to thank everyone that’s helped out.
It’s nonsense to suggest that people who help out their community would leave themselves exposed to legal action. The HSE will confirm this and a number of authorities have taken legal advice to this affect.
Liability for private property snow clearance
People need to use their common sense in this and not be put off by concerns about being sued.
We recognise people’s concerns. Whilst it is for the courts to decide issues of liability, we think that as long as their clearing the snow does not make it worse and create a more dangerous situation, then it is highly unlikely that any claim would be successful.
In addition where possible please be ready to help friends and neighbours who are particularly vulnerable in this cold weather.
When clearing snow people should think about their safety and that of other people.
• Do not use hot water; this can create additional hazardous ice;
• Use a shovel with the widest blade available;
• Spread some ordinary table salt on the area you have cleared to prevent any ice forming.
What’s happening at the airports?
Airports generally remain open to passengers. And airport operators continue ground surface anti-and de-icing, together with the airframe de-icing.
There are likely to be ongoing delays to flights and cancellations, and the prospect that airports across the UK may have to suspend flight operations temporarily to allow snow clearance operations on runways, taxiways and aircraft hard-standings remains live.
Passengers travelling in this cold period should check directly with their airlines before setting off for the airport and allow extra time for their journey to the airport. Most major airports’ websites are providing live flight information and links to airlines’ websites.
I have recieved the following information from the local council.
Click here for the latest news and weather reports.Winter travel in East Renfrewshire
With the winter now here, East Renfrewshire Council has geared up for cold weather affecting our local streets and roads. Our aim is to keep road users moving as much as possible, come sleet, ice, heavy rain or even snow.
Specialist weather forecasts alert the council to any severe weather on the way. And local roads are treated before freezing temperatures start.
Roads in East Renfrewshire are treated during winter by priority:
main roads such as A727 East Kilbride Road or A736 Lochlibo Road.
access to fire stations.
bus routes to schools.
main bus routes.
routes to local employment areas.
Not every road can be included in the priority routes, especially as there are 463km of roads in East Renfrewshire - that’s enough to go from here to Edinburgh and back three times. If there is heavy snow or long spells of icy weather, when the priority routes are done, our aim is to work through the ones that are left as soon as we can.
We will continue to use specialised footpath salt spreading and snow clearing equipment. This will treat our footways starting with shopping areas and moving to other areas near elderly homes or sheltered housing during severe weather.
Our top tips for drivers
During icy or snowy weather, you should:
keep your windscreen clear;
reduce speed;
brake gently;
increase the gap between you and the car in front;
use dipped headlights when visibility is poor;
use the highest gear possible;
avoid hills if possible, and
take care all of the time.
Our top tips for pedestrians
During icy or snowy weather, you should:
wear sensible footwear;
don’t go out unless you need to;
wrap up warmly, and
take care all of the time
Although the council looks after the vast majority of local roads we don’t deal with any of the M77 from Malletsheugh towards Kilmarnock, or the new Glasgow Southern Orbital route A726. These are looked after by the private contractors Amey and Connect.
You can contact the council on 0141 577 3417/3001 during office hours.
Fax 0141 577 3414 or phone 0800 373 635 out of office hours
You can contact Amey or Connect for the M77 and the GSO A726 on 0800 028 1414.
GRITTING THE PRIORITIES
Roads services in East Renfrewshire have confirmed that with the continued freezing conditions and lack of salt deliveries, the council is focussing on its priority roads. They’ll also be dealing with emergencies throughout the winter weather. This is designed to make sure that council salt stock does not run out and that priority routes continue to get grit throughout icy weather. And they are mixing their existing salt with sand-grit to increase the amount available to cover the routes across East Renfrewshire. But, until there are more deliveries or the weather conditions improve secondary routes won’t be gritted and grit bins won’t be refilled. . Until conditions improve the council is calling on all road users and pedestrians to take care especially on the side roads and footways. In East Renfrewshire there are 463km of roads, that’s enough to go from here to Edinburgh and back three times. The priority routes focus on main ‘A’ roads, access to fire stations, bus routes to schools when open, main bus routes and routes to local employment areas. Although the council looks after the vast majority of local roads, it doesn’t deal with any of the M77 Malletsheugh towards Kilmarnock or the Glasgow Southern Orbital route A726. These are looked after by private contractors Amey and Connect.
Workplace winter warmer warning
Employers are being urged to keep their workplaces warm after East Renfrewshire environmental health officers received complaints from staff at a number of local businesses who said they were cold at work during the current big freeze.
Environmental health officer David Hunter said: “The guidelines recommend that the normal minimum temperature in a workplace is at least 16 degrees centigrade, but we’ve had calls from staff saying that their premises are much colder than that. It’s vital to keep premises warm in this weather especially as when I checked the air temperature outside our Newton Mearns office this morning with one of our calibrated air probe thermometers it registered -11.6 degrees centigrade. Not only is it a statutory duty to keep workplaces warm, but it makes sound business sense as staff are more productive and warm premises guard against burst pipes, equipment failures and lost production and business.”
Local employers who need advice about working temperatures on their premises can phone environmental health on 0141 577 3782 for advice.
BIN COLLECTIONS DISRUPTED
Waste collection services in East Renfrewshire continue to be disrupted because of weather conditions.
Council waste collections are only taking place where it is safe for vehicles to access bins.
The bulky uplift service has been suspended until further notice to deploy these small vehicles to areas that have been difficult to access with larger refuse collection vehicles.
Bins should be left out and they will be emptied as soon we can. If your bins haven’t been collected for some time we will also collect any additional waste next to bins if that waste is bagged.
Normal waste collections are a priority, but recycling and Christmas trees will be uplifted in places that are safe to access.